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Wooden Soap Bowls

Jaro1069

Jaro1069

TSC's Cheerleader
Veteran
I have been thinking about one of the wooden soap bowls with lid.
Something kind of like the CBL or vintage type but don't know anything about them..
Are they delicate and need to be treated with special care?
Do you need to do anything to them before use?
Where to find them?
Any other info would be greatly appreciated.....
Thanks.
 
Vintage ones can be tricky, as the finish has worn off them much of the time. They can be refinished.

You do need to show a little bit of care, as water can soak into the wood if unfinished. The hydrating and drying cycle can crack them over time.

CBLs bowls are made from Bamboo, which in my opinion is much better than what other bowls are made of. I highly recommend getting one from him!
 
Spider said:
Vintage ones can be tricky, as the finish has worn off them much of the time. They can be refinished.

You do need to show a little bit of care, as water can soak into the wood if unfinished. The hydrating and drying cycle can crack them over time.

CBLs bowls are made from Bamboo, which in my opinion is much better than what other bowls are made of. I highly recommend getting one from him!
Click to expand...
Thank you for the reply.. I appreciate it a lot..
 
I absolutely love wooden bowls. If you can snag a decent vintage bowl or two for a reasonable price and are willing to do a little rehab they can serve you very well. I would be happy to do a more detailed walk through if you or anyone else is interested. As KJ hinted , the process isn’t necessarily difficult but sometimes things go sideways and lids warp or bowls crack. Once you get the hang of it you’ll find you can pretty quickly hand sand, rub in a few coats of tung oil and be on your way.
I chose to have the bamboo bowls custom made for CBL soaps as an homage to the vintage soap bowls I love so much. I opted for bamboo because even when the coating of sealant does eventually wear off the bamboo will fair well in the moist environment.

The only bowls I don’t really recommend are those cheap ones that are made from some sort of laminated product. Those look really fancy but they fall apart when they are exposed to moisture. You’ll get more enjoyment and use from a poorly refurbished vintage bowl than one of those.
 
CBLindsay said:
I absolutely love wooden bowls. If you can snag a decent vintage bowl or two for a reasonable price and are willing to do a little rehab they can serve you very well. I would be happy to do a more detailed walk through if you or anyone else is interested. As KJ hinted , the process isn’t necessarily difficult but sometimes things go sideways and lids warp or bowls crack. Once you get the hang of it you’ll find you can pretty quickly hand sand, rub in a few coats of tung oil and be on your way.
I chose to have the bamboo bowls custom made for CBL soaps as an homage to the vintage soap bowls I love so much. I opted for bamboo because even when the coating of sealant does eventually wear off the bamboo will fair well in the moist environment.

The only bowls I don’t really recommend are those cheap ones that are made from some sort of laminated product. Those look really fancy but they fall apart when they are exposed to moisture. You’ll get more enjoyment and use from a poorly refurbished vintage bowl than one of those.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the reply. I appreciate it
 
I have a bunch of vintage bowls and some new ones. MANY of them are unfinished such as Yardley, Wembdon, Wrisley, Fougere Royale, Currier and Ives, Morney, and Stag,. The truly vintage bowls are good as gold and at worst I've seen them cracked. The newer ones like Art of shaving, Crabtree and Evelyn, and DR. Harris are the ones where I've seen minor warping(especially on older Crabtree and Evelyn). I have a couple of @CBLindsay bowls and they are very nice and I'd say they would last the test of time.

I wonder if the unfinished bowls of old last so long because they can evenly dry and their pores are filled with old soap? Who knows, but you gotta have a cool bowl in your collection. This one from the 80's?? Is likely my coolest!

1670348148133.png

1670348133439.png
1670348164725.png

This is likely one of my oldest:
1670348298877.png
1910's-1920's
 
That's a VERY attractive bowl Matt, wonder what wood that is. I have had some older wood bowls warp on me when I get them wet after sanding them in preparation for oil coating AND I have had some obviously used and abused bowls that stay true no matter what. I think some credit for the longevity of the vintage bowls might go to the quality of wood stock that was used. I am sure old wood is/was more dense and maybe allowed to air dry differently before being turned...who knows.

I do know I love the old wood bowls.
 
CBLindsay said:
That's a VERY attractive bowl Matt, wonder what wood that is. I have had some older wood bowls warp on me when I get them wet after sanding them in preparation for oil coating AND I have had some obviously used and abused bowls that stay true no matter what. I think some credit for the longevity of the vintage bowls might go to the quality of wood stock that was used. I am sure old wood is/was more dense and maybe allowed to air dry differently before being turned...who knows.

I do know I love the old wood bowls.
Click to expand...
Hey Chris, I wish I knew, but it is some sort of burl wood. I snagged it and a matching brush about a month ago. I'm considering if I want to sand it down and refinish with CA inside and some other sealant outside, only because you can see the turn marks on its surface.. Definitely doesn't affect the functionality, but if I have some time I just might do it. OR I could see if @Smattayu has any suggestions. Though, it will likely sit in the purgatory that is my shaving storage room(AKA Spare Oom) until I have the time and motivation to do something with it.

I have seen some folks that find old bowls and rub them with tongue oil and they turn out pretty well.
 
I use tung oil, it's awesome stuff. The first application or two penetrate into the wood to protect and seal the grain then additional applications build some depth and shine. It's really easy to work with and kind to the wood. The only draw back I can think of is that once you apply the oil you cant really go back, it's not like you can just sand it off and choose a different product because it penetrates.

I recently had a couple poplar trees along my fence line fall in the wind, one looks like it has a bit of burl developed. I may try to cut a block or two from the base and see if it can be turned. The wood isn't much to look at but maybe if I treat it with resin first it might look unique.
 
CBLindsay said:
I use tung oil, it's awesome stuff. The first application or two penetrate into the wood to protect and seal the grain then additional applications build some depth and shine. It's really easy to work with and kind to the wood. The only draw back I can think of is that once you apply the oil you cant really go back, it's not like you can just sand it off and choose a different product because it penetrates.

I recently had a couple poplar trees along my fence line fall in the wind, one looks like it has a bit of burl developed. I may try to cut a block or two from the base and see if it can be turned. The wood isn't much to look at but maybe if I treat it with resin first it might look unique.
Click to expand...
I bet Eric could stabilize it. If I remember right he has a vacuum/pressure pot one of the two. Maybe reach out to him!
 
Luecke3262 said:
I bet Eric could stabilize it. If I remember right he has a vacuum/pressure pot one of the two. Maybe reach out to him!
Click to expand...
I second the use of tung oil. It is fantastic stuff, and very easy to apply. I have a couple sets of scales that I used it on in the early days and they are holding up very well.

Sadly I am not set up to stabilize. I’ve considered it more than once but have never gone through with it, mostly due to the time and everything else that goes into it. I don’t have enough time to use what I have already lol.
 
CBLindsay said:
I absolutely love wooden bowls. If you can snag a decent vintage bowl or two for a reasonable price and are willing to do a little rehab they can serve you very well. I would be happy to do a more detailed walk through if you or anyone else is interested. As KJ hinted , the process isn’t necessarily difficult but sometimes things go sideways and lids warp or bowls crack. Once you get the hang of it you’ll find you can pretty quickly hand sand, rub in a few coats of tung oil and be on your way.
I chose to have the bamboo bowls custom made for CBL soaps as an homage to the vintage soap bowls I love so much. I opted for bamboo because even when the coating of sealant does eventually wear off the bamboo will fair well in the moist environment.

The only bowls I don’t really recommend are those cheap ones that are made from some sort of laminated product. Those look really fancy but they fall apart when they are exposed to moisture. You’ll get more enjoyment and use from a poorly refurbished vintage bowl than one of those.
Click to expand...
I am sorry I never got back about your offer back then but the detailed love a more detailed walkthrough like you offered. Thanks..
 
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